Oh, how I wish I could capture everything that she is in words. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but not even a picture can capture the personality, the love, the intelligence, the joy, that exudes from my girl. I can’t believe how fast she is growing up.
Dear Evie,
Oh my little monkey, here you are at 22 months old and already I’m seeing visions of your pre-teen years. You’ve always had a little sass to you, but recently the sassiness has escalated to levels I was not prepared for. Rest assured, I am not the only one that has noticed this. You suddenly seem to think that you control the world. Though I hate to burst your bubble, I have to tell you that it just is not so.
All of this attitude came along with a huge speech explosion. It seemed like overnight you went from saying single words to speaking in sentences and making demands. You tell us what you want, when you want it (NOW!), and how you want it. When we don’t comply with your wishes, you let us know just how unhappy you are by screaming like a banshee and repeating yourself over and over again. Maybe you’re trying to make us understand your words, but yeah, WE GOT IT.
You have also discovered the fact that humans were blessed with free will and you apparently think that makes all things in life optional. So now, when Mommy says things like, “Evie, it’s time to take a bath.” you respond with, “NO, I NOT!” It was charming and rather funny the first few times, but it got old really fast. Even the things you like to do (like take a bath) usually get a “NO, I NOT!” these days until you figure out that you really do want to do it. I know you’re only trying to assert your new found independence, but I still dream of the day when “yes” becomes your favorite word.
While it may sound like I’m complaining about all the talking, I absolutely love it! I finally get to know what’s going on in your head. We have actual conversations now which just amazes me. You are one smart little girl. You have a great memory and surprise me constantly with all the words you know. The best part though, is when I tuck you into bed at night. Every night we say a bed time prayer and then sing a couple of songs to help you settle down. You can almost recite the entire prayer with me now and you always request “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and sing along with me to the words you know. It’s a sweet way to end a busy day and I enjoy it every time.
Your brother, on the other hand, does not like you talking so much. You see, before you started talking, he was under the impression that he controlled the world because he was the only child in the room that spoke. He assumed that his demands were the only ones that existed, simply because we heard no others. Now things have changed and he’s having a hard time getting used to it. He gets really upset when we allow you to make a choice before him (even though we generally alternate) but I suppose it is just something we all have to get used to. I remember arguing about the same things with my brother and sister.
You are becoming so much more independent all of a sudden that I have to remind myself to just let you do things yourself. You are getting really good at using your fork and spoon and actually getting the food to your mouth. You have also started using a regular cup when we’re at the table. You usually still request a sippy cup full of milk when we’re finished eating, but it is nice to see that you can use a regular cup without spilling too much.
The other thing we’ve been really working on is potty training. You know exactly what to do when we get you to the potty at the right time, but you aren’t really telling us when you need to go. I think you’ll be there soon. You’re brain has just been busy focusing on other things. You definitely have the right idea. You do love wearing your pull-ups during the day and can even pull them up and down by yourself now.
A few weeks ago, your day care provider started watching a new baby. I was a little afraid of how you would react at first because you and your BFF had been the babies there for so long. You seemed to adjust just fine though. At home, you started carrying your baby dolls around with you constantly. You tell us when they are hungry, feed them bottles, change their diapers, and tuck them into bed when they are sleepy. I love watching you take care of them. You’ll be a great mama some day.
Each month seems like it goes by faster and faster as I watch you growing up so fast. Two is less than two months away now. As you inch towards it, I feel myself relaxing in some ways. Even though I still call you a baby, you really aren’t any more. I see more and more glimpses of the big girl you are quickly becoming and I am so proud.
Love always,
Mama
Dear Evie,
It’s been a while since I’ve written a monthly letter. I got off when I had surgery a few months ago and I just never could find the time to get caught back up. It’s not that I don’t have a lot to say about (or to) you, I just don’t have the time to focus because you demand that my attention be on you whenever possible, not on the computer screen.
Tonight was a night when I just really needed time to wind down. Zach was watching a movie back in the bedroom. You were demanding to watch princesses on the play room TV, and I was ready to go sit in my chair and relax for the evening. You had other plans though. As I stepped away from you, you hollered out, “Mommy, Mommy, Mommmmyyyyy!” and held your hands up in the air. One look into your big, bright eyes and I just couldn’t walk away. You have that power over me.
I grabbed you up into my arms and then sat on the floor hugging you for as long as you would allow. We watched a few minutes of Beauty and the Beast before you were up searching for toys to play with. TV never keeps your attention, even when you beg for your princesses or Elmo. You grabbed your favorite bucket of toys – your shape sorters and stackers – and we sat in the floor playing together for over an hour.
Even though I know to expect it now, you amaze me with just how smart you are. You pick up on things so quickly. As we played with the shape sorter blocks, I named each shape and soon you were saying the shape names with me. Then you started stacking the blocks to make “towers” just like your brother does. Perhaps not an amazing feat for a kid your age, but it still impressed me. You just seem to be doing things so much faster than your brother did, although it could just be my memory failing.
Your verbal skills are definitely good for your age. You talk all the time. Seriously, all the time. It’s not often I get a chance to be alone with just you, but yesterday you weren’t feeling well and went to work with me for a while. You sat in your stroller (incredibly well behaved) and pretty much talked non-stop the entire time. Most of the time you were just playing and talking to yourself but it was so fun to listen to you. Not every word is clear, but I can figure out what most of them are.
Before I had you, I would have sworn up and down to anybody that there really wasn’t much difference between boys and girls (other than body parts). You, my darling, have proven me wrong. You have a gentleness about you that I rarely see in your brother. You are obsessed with princesses, dolls, ponies, and kitty cats. You love your shoes, purses, hair bows, and pretty clothes. Sure you like Elmo, your brother’s cars, and wrestling on the floor with the boys too, but when it comes down to it, you are one of the girliest girls I’ve ever known. And, surprisingly, I love every single bit of it.
My heart aches when I realize just how close you are getting to your second birthday. I’m so proud of who you are, yet I am really missing my baby. Every now and then when you snuggle up with your head on my chest I remember those first few weeks at home with you. Never in my dreams did I imagine that in 20 short months you would be filled with so much personality, love, and charm.
Tonight as I put you to bed, you started crying. It wasn’t just the normal “I don’t want to go to bed” type of cry. You were sobbing and becoming hysterical. I never could figure out exactly what was wrong, but after holding you and singing “Rock-a-Bye Baby” (which has magical powers over you for some reason) a few times you finally settled down. Maybe it was just a long day. Maybe it was due to you not feeling well the last few days. Maybe you were scared about something. I have no idea. Whatever it was, I was there to make it better. I always want to be there to make it better, and take the hurt away, no matter what the cause is. That’s the thing about Moms, we’ll do just about anything to take the hurt away.
Right now I’d give just about anything to peek in on you before I head to bed myself, but you are too much like your Mama and the slightest noise wakes you up. Instead of checking in on you, kissing your soft cheeks, and saying good-night one more time, I’ll quietly sneak past your door to my own room. Just know that I’m looking forward to morning, because I know the moment I crack your door open you’ll pop up out of your bed with a huge smile on your face and yell out “Morning!” as you do every day. It is one of the highlights of my day and I hope someday you’ll understand just how much it means to me.
With all my love,
Mama
P.S. You know that big smile you get on your face with the batty eyes when you’re trying to get away with something? Save that for Daddy. I’m on to your tricks, little one. After all, I’m pretty sure I used that on my Daddy a time or two. 😉
Comments closedDear Evie,
Seventeen months fly by so fast. Nearly a year and a half is gone in the blink of an eye. I think of those first few days with you, how tiny you were, and can’t believe that in seventeen months you have grown so much.
Last weekend we had a small garage sale. I sold the baby swing that both you and your brother used. The exersaucer, the play mats, the bathtub chair – they’re all gone now. I’m still holding on to the high chair, crib, and pack ‘n’ play, just in case. I sorted through your teeny, tiny, baby clothes. I put price stickers on a few and packed the rest back into the plastic tote they came out of. I can’t part with them yet. I’m not ready. Someday I will be, but not just yet.
You have decided all on your own that you are a “big girl” now. You don’t want to sleep in your crib any more. You climb right up into brother’s bottom bunk when it’s time for bed. We made it yours this weekend, and you picked out your very own princess sheets and comforter to make it official.
You suddenly want to do everything yourself, from brushing your hair to putting on your clothes and shoes. You pretty much have the shoe thing down, but you’re still a little confused on the clothes. Shirts go over your head, not on your legs.
You talk all the time. You say so many words, I cannot even try to list them anymore. Yesterday, as I was buckling you into your car seat, you were reaching for a brush on the floor of the car. I handed it to you saying, “Are you happy now?” You looked up, gave me a huge grin, and said, “Happy!” That may have been our first true conversation.
You have a fierce love for your brother these days, always wanting to be near him. I worry a bit about how you will handle being separated from him in a few weeks as he heads off to preschool. I’ve found comfort in knowing that even when I’m not with you, the two of you are still together. That will quickly come to an end. As I listened to the two of you giggling together until nearly 11:00 last night, I thought again that maybe it is time for separate bedrooms. Then again, maybe not. You need all the time you can get to be together right now. I’m sure it won’t be long before you are fighting like cats and dogs and begging for separate rooms.
Baby girl, you are so intelligent and caring and just everything I ever dreamed you would be. I know we’ll have our struggles down the road, but I hope that someday you can look back at this and know that you have filled every bit of empty space in my heart.
Love always,
Mama
Dear Evie,
I’ve missed two months now of these “monthly” letters and I really have no excuse other than that I just can’t seem to find the words to describe you these days. You are beautiful and charming. You are so full of life and attitude. One minute you have me in tears laughing so hard and the next minute all you want to do is snuggle up on my lap like we did for hours at a time when you were an infant. You make my heart swell and hurt in such a good way.
You are growing up so dang fast. Some days it seems like you are one going on fifteen. You still let me pick your clothes out in the morning, but heaven help me if I try to put the wrong pair of shoes on you. You will kick and scream and fight until I give up and let you choose the ones you want. As long as something is covering your feet it doesn’t really matter much though. You just love your shoes and even though you can’t manage to put your own shoes on yet, I keep finding you walking around in your brother’s. I’ve also found you walking around trying to wear a t-shirt as pants because you are trying to dress yourself already. There were even a few days when I had to laugh because you started asking for a “bow” in your hair every night before bed and refused to lay down until you had one. It seems I may have a little miniature diva on my hands.
You talk all the time now. You can still only say one or two words at a time, but girl you have a lot of words for your age. Your favorite word? Shoes. (You may have to get a job when you’re 3 to keep up with your shoe habit.) I can’t possibly list all of the words you say, but the most common are: shoes, mommy, mama, daddy, zach, bubba, bopbop, cat, bye bye, more, night night, outside, belly (while you lift your shirt to show it off), hello, hi, ball, baby, bath, potty, yes, no, and cup. I know I’m forgetting some because you’re always spouting off new words. You try to repeat pretty much anything we say, even if you can’t get the sounds quite right.
You are getting more and more social all the time. You love your friends at day care and your cousins, but you love your big brother even more. You want to play with him all the time, which means I hear a lot of “No Sis!” coming from the playroom and living room when you start messing with his toys. Most of the time he ends up giving up the toys and playing with you instead. When he does pay attention to you the two of you giggle like crazy and it is the best sound in the world.
It’s been fun watching you develop your motor skills lately as well. You’ve been walking since just after your first birthday, but now you love to dance as well. In the last week or so, I’ve noticed you trying to jump. Every kid does it, but I think it is the cutest thing when you try to jump and your feet don’t leave the ground. You are so proud of yourself every time even though you aren’t going anywhere. Your fine motor skills are improving as well. You have started picking up crayons and coloring and you are doing much better feeding yourself with a fork and spoon.
Along with all of the growing, you’ve been cutting teeth like crazy. You cut all four of your 1st year molars and all four incisors within a few weeks of each other. In between cutting all of those teeth, you somehow got a bacterial infection in your skin, got a cold, and a horrible sinus infection that caused a week long fever. You were a pretty miserable girl for a couple weeks, but once we got through the antibiotics you were back to your normal goofy self.
Baby girl, you are just so much fun. You are so lively and funny and just perfect in every way (except for maybe your sudden obsession with princesses). I can spend hours just tickling you and giving you zerberts on your belly and you never get tired of it. You just ask for “more” and lift your shirt to show me your belly. You bring so much joy and love to our family. I can’t imagine a more perfect fit. I love you, my little monkey!
Love always,
Mama
Dear Evie,
You turned 13 months old just over a week ago. Your 13 month birthday came and went with little fanfare since it just happened to fall the day after we buried your Great Grandfather “Papop”. Since our last minute trip to Louisiana, I haven’t had any free time to sit down and write your monthly letter so I’m going to try to do this as quickly as possible just so I can have something to look back on years from now.
It seems there is something magical about that 1st birthday. Until the day you turned one you were still my little baby. Now you’re suddenly a big girl – one that walks, and talks, and wants to feed yourself without any help. It’s all going by so fast that I can barely keep up. At your one year wellness check you were 31 1/4 inches tall and weighed 22 lbs 11 oz. It seems that nearly every day you have outgrown another outfit or pair of shoes.
A little over two weeks ago you stopped nursing. We had been weaning gradually, but it didn’t seem you really wanted to let go quite yet of your special time with Mama. You finally went about three days without it, then had a bad night where I sat up with you for over an hour before finally giving in and letting you nurse. After that you never really tried again. Sometimes you stick your hand down the front of my shirt (and if I dare try to remove it you let me know that is not acceptable) which seems to give you some kind of comfort. I’m sure it looks a little odd when we’re out in public, but as long as it is just a transitional thing for you I don’t mind so much. I have to admit I was a little sad yesterday when I packed away my breast pump and supplies for good. I miss it because it was our special uninteruppted time together, but at the same time I am enjoying seeing you become more independent. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying having my body to myself again too. The next stop is trying to break you from the bottles. I’m willing to give you some time on that though. The bottles still allow me to get some snuggle time in.
The only complaint I have (and really it’s only a half complaint because I don’t really mind it so much) is that you have suddenly become extremely clingy. I’m not sure if it is related to the nursing situation or just a developmental thing but you want Mama nearly all the time. When you’re in a clingy mood you will not let me put you down at all. On very rare occasions you will allow your Daddy to hold you for short periods of time, but then it is back to me. You actually cried at day care drop off a couple of times lately, which is very unusual for you because you LOVE day care (most of the time you would rather stay there than go home with me). The trip to Louisiana seemed to make the clinginess even worse. You were pretty much attached to my hip the entire time. You did eventually warm up to Granny and Papa and would get down in the floor to go play but if anyone else tried to talk to you you would latch back on to me and hide your face. That right there is part of your Mama’s personality and I really hope you are able to outgrow it because when you’re an adult you aren’t allowed to do that anymore.
You are talking more and more (when we’re at home and you aren’t being shy) and I just love listening to you. It is obvious that you are putting meaning into the words you say now instead of just repeating sounds. Just in the last couple of weeks you have started using “yes” (which is usually with a quick nod) and “no” (though it sounds more like “nah”) when I ask you a question. Sometimes you even shake your head and say “nah, nah, nah” when you get caught doing something you know you aren’t supposed to be doing. It’s so cute it makes me laugh even when I’m trying to scold you. You also say “up” when you want to be picked up or want up in your high chair to eat. Last week when I was trying to get your brother up in the morning, you patted him and said “up, up, up” until he uncovered his head and looked at you. You also say “down” when I’m holding you sometimes because you just want to be on the floor where you can play.
You are getting better and better at walking. You really want to be able to run and keep up with the big kids, but you still stumble now and then. I have noticed in the last few days that you have been able to stand yourself back up without holding on to anything though. Before long I imagine you and your brother will be racing each other through the house and I’ll be yelling at you to slow down just as I do to him.
As each month passes, I watch you and your brother get closer and closer. I love standing outside the door in the morning listening to the two of you giggle and talk together before I come in to get you up. You are starting to play together more and even though you steal his toys and frustrate him, Zach loves playing with you. I see signs of that protective big brother coming out in him and it makes me so proud. Even though he doesn’t like to admit it all the time, his actions show just how much he loves you. And that huge grin you get on your face when he talks to you? It shows just how much you love him too. It makes my heart dance with joy. I know there will come a time when the two of you fight like cats and dogs so I’m trying to soak up every ounce of love I can get now.
I am just so very proud of you and all the things you are learning. I love watching your personality develop as you get to be more independent. Even though you look more and more like your dad as you get older, you seem to get your personality more from me. It’s almost like looking into a little tiny mirror some days, which is both amazing and terrifying.
I love you with all of my heart.
Love always,
Mama
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